Saturday, September 8, 2007

Hi.That first line originally said “Welcome.” But I quickly realized most of you are welcoming me. I’m finally blogging. We’ve been talking for months about launching the Editor’s Blog. But the executive editor -– me -– kept finding a zillion excuses to push back the start date.

So here we finally are. This blog -- as well as all the other blogs to follow from Bradenton Herald reporters, columnists and other newsroom staffers -- is a conversation with you: our online audience and our Herald readers. It's a conversation with you about the news side of the Bradenton Herald, Lakewood Ranch Herald and Bradenton.com.

I guess I’ve feared that this blog would replace your daily phone calls and conversations over coffee. Instead, I've realized, it’s simply one of the more accessible ways for the editors at the Bradenton Herald to discuss story ideas, decisions, ethics, readership – and just plain life.

Someone dubbed blogging “conversational media,” and that’s our goal. Most of this blog’s entries will be from me and our managing editor, Jim Smith. We have that daunting responsibility for every day's story choices, photo play, inclusions, omissions and more in the Herald. We hope to share insights with you on how decisions are made, and reach out to you on issues that challenge and shape our community. And, as those issues warrant, other key editors will weigh in here.

Our goal: to update the Editor’s Blog daily, usually before your lunch hour so you can check in for the day. You can still contact us the old-fashioned way: call me at 941-748-0411, ext. 2000 or email at jkrauter@bradenton.com; Jim’s at 941-745-7021 or jsmith@bradenton.com.